Blackbeard shipwreck project, 1999 : with a note on unloading the cannon

The Blackbeard Shipwreck Project, 1999:
With a Note on
Unloading a Cannon
By:
Wayne R. Lusardi
NC Underwater Archaeological Conservation Laboratory
Institute of Marine Sciences
3431 Arendell Street
Morehead City, North Carolina 28557
Table of Contents
Introduction.........................................................................................................................................1
1999 Field Season................................................................................................................................1
Figure 1: Two small cast-iron cannons during removal of concretion and associated
ballast stones. ..................................................................................................................................1
The Artifacts ........................................................................................................................................2
Ship Parts and Equipment...................................................................................................................2
Arms..................................................................................................................................................2
Figure 2: Weight marks on breech of cannon C-21..............................................................3
Figure 3: Contents of cannon C-19 included three iron drift pins, a solid round shot
and three wads of cordage .........................................................................................................3
Figure 4: Two cast-iron hand grenades, one with a section removed to reveal the
wooden fuse. ..............................................................................................................................4
Figure 5: Brass serpentine side plate from a blunderbuss or musket.................................4
Personal Effects...................................................................................................................................5
Figure 6: Personal effects including a gold nugget, three brass straight pins, and a gold-plated
silver button or spangle. .................................................................................................5
Food Preparation and Storage ..............................................................................................................6
Figure 7: Marks of London pewtersmith John Stiles on the base of a charger. ...............6
Conclusion ...........................................................................................................................................7
A Note on Unloading Cannon C-19 ...................................................................................................7
Figure 8: Intact wooden tompion after removal from cannon muzzle .............................8
Figure 9: Removing the tompion using several scalpels. .....................................................8
References ..........................................................................................................................................10
Introduction
Shipwreck site 0003BUI [31CR314] was discovered off the coast of Beaufort, North Carolina in
the fall of 1996 by the private research firm Intersal, Inc. Three field seasons have been conducted
on the site from 1997 to 1999, and a preliminary analysis of the artifact assemblage has led
researchers to tentatively identify the shipwreck as the pirate Blackbeard’s flagship Queen Anne’s
Revenge (1718). This paper will discuss the most recent findings since those reported by Wilde-
Ramsing (1998) and Lusardi (1999), and includes a note on the procedure used to unload a small
cannon recovered from the site.
1999 Field Season
In June and October 1999, archaeologists from the State of North Carolina conducted a diver-positioned
magnetometer survey of the Beaufort Inlet site. Numerous ferrous objects including
another cannon were detected in the surrounding sediments. A large ballast-covered concretion
located adjacent to the structural remains was recovered, and when opened in the laboratory,
revealed two additional cannons (Figure 1). Miscellaneous small artifacts such as stoneware
fragments, a pewter charger, ballast stones, and a wooden hull plank recently disturbed by hurricane
conditions were recovered for conservation and analysis. Field and laboratory personnel also assisted
with the production of a British Broadcasting corporation documentary featuring the project.
Figure 1: Two small cast-iron cannons during removal of concretion and associated ballast stones.
Although only a small number of artifacts were recovered from the site in 1999, many new
discoveries have been made in the conservation laboratory while processing concretions removed
from the wreck in previous years. Several classifications are represented in the assemblage including
ship parts and equipment, arms, food preparation and storage items, and personal effects.
Ship Parts and Equipment
Several hundred iron nails varying in length from one and one-half to four inches were removed
from concretion attached to cannon C-4. The nails are square in section, flare or spoon slightly at
the tip, and were probably contained in a box or keg that has since deteriorated. A perforated semi-circular
lead pump sieve with three flanges was found in 1996, and a second sieve fragment was
recovered in 1999. Both fragments resemble sieves found on El Nuevo Constante, wrecked off
Louisiana in 1766 (Oertling 1996:31-33). Several hundred variously shaped and sized river cobbles
have been collected from different areas of the site to identify patterns in loading and deposition of
ballast. The stones consist primarily of basalt and gabbro, though andesite, granite, schist, quartz,
conglomerates, and limestone were also identified by geologists (Miller et al 1999).
An outer hull plank eight and one-half inches in length was found to be disarticulated from the
extant structure. The White Oak (Quercus sp.) plank was recovered and will be sectioned for dendro-chronological
analysis and experimentation to determine the best means of preservation. Plans are
underway to recover the entire hull structure during the upcoming field seasons because recent
hurricanes have significantly eroded and threatened the wooden planks and frames.
Arms
The French slaver Concorde was originally outfitted with fourteen to sixteen guns before
Blackbeard captured and renamed the vessel Queen Anne’s Revenge, and increased its complement to as
many as forty cannons. All but three of the twenty-one cannons so far discovered on the site appear
to be cast-iron six-pounders approximately eight feet in length. One of the two larger guns (C-3)
recovered in 1997 features crudely chiseled number 17 and 3 running lengthwise along the first
reinforce. The numbers represent the weight of the gun in old English hundred-weights [17(112) +
3(28) = 1988 lb.]. A smaller cast iron cannon (C-4) recovered in 1998 measures six feet in length,
and features the numbers 6-3-7 stamped laterally on the breech [6(112) + 3(28) = 7 = 763 lb.]. The
letter P for ‘proof’ also appears on the top of the first reinforce just behind the trunnions, and the
touch-hole is stopped with a wooden peg.
One of the two small cannons (C-21) raised in 1999 measures three feet, ten inches in length and
features the numbers 1-3-3 (Figure 2) stamped laterally on the breech [1(112) + 3(28) + 3 = 199 lb.].
Figure 2: Weight marks on breech of cannon C-21.
The second small cannon (C-19) is four feet, six inches in length. Its right trunnion was cast with the
letters IEC representing the foundry of Jasper Ehrencreutz, operating in Sweden from 1695-1743
(Kennard 1986:70; Peterson 1973:156-157). The left trunnion is dated [1]713. After removal of the
wooden tompions, the gun was found to contain a wad of cordage followed by three iron drift pins, a
second wad, a solid round shot, a third wad, and the powder charge(Figure 3). Both of these smaller
guns appear to be typical carriage-mounted cannons, not rail-mounted swivel guns.
Figure 3: Contents of cannon C-19 included three iron drift pins,
a solid round shot and three wads of cordage.
Two hand grenades (diameter, three inches) were removed from concretion attached to a pewter
charger recovered in 1998. The grenades consist of cast-iron spheres packed with gunpowder and
pierced to accept a hollow wooden fuse (Figure 4). The fuse also contained powder and a paper
match, and would have been lit and thrown at the enemy with devastating results (Marsden and Lyon
Figure 4: Two cast-iron hand grenades, one with a section removed to reveal the wooden fuse.
1977:16-19). Small arms from the Beaufort Inlet site include a brass blunderbuss barrel with London
proof and view marks of the style dating to between 1672-1702 (Hawtrey Gyngell 1959:11), a brass
side plate in the form of a sea serpent (Figure 5), and a brass butt plate. A small concretion found in
June 1999 appears to be the remains of a small wooden box or container. A slat of wood still
Figure 5: Brass serpentine side plate from a blunderbuss or musket.
survives, on top of which is a pile of lead bird shot, three variously worked gunflints, three pieces of
chert debitage, and a pewter spoon. The debitage suggests that the flints were produced on board
the ship. A wide variety of small caliber cast- and Rupert-style lead round shot (0.02-0.75 cal.) was
also recovered (Baird 1973:83-85). Although no edged weapons have yet been found, a rectangular
whetstone and quarter section of a grinding stone exhibit considerable usage patterns along the
edges. These were used to sharpen cutlasses, knives, boarding axes, or other edged weapons and
tools.
Personal Effects
Personal effects recovered from the shipwreck include a kaolin clay pipe stem fragment (length,
three and one-half inches, bore diameter, 0.1 inch), an intact pipe bowl that has yet to be removed
from concretion, a brass sail needle, gold dust, a wooden bead, and a gold-plated silver button or
spangle (Figure 6). Three brass straight pins (length, one inch) were found within a concretion that
Figure 6: Personal effects including a gold nugget, three brass straight pins,
and a gold-plated silver button or spangle.
also contained a fragment of stitched fabric. The pins feature straight shanks that taper to a point,
and a head fashioned from a second piece of wire wrapped around the shank and flattened into a
button. Straight pins and other sewing instruments are often found on archaeological sites and do
not necessarily represent gender distinctions (Hill 1995:90: Noël Hume 1982:254).
Food Preparation and Storage
The base of a salt-glazed Rhenish stoneware jug was found in June 1999, and resembles several
body sherds found in previous years. The ceramic assemblage also includes a Faience rim sherd, red
earthenware oil jar fragments, cream-bodied olive jar sherds, and a single piece of hearth tile.
Three pewter charges (diameter, 22 inches), two smaller charges (diameter, 16 inches), and two
pewter plates (diameter, 9 ½ inches) have so far been recovered. Two additional plates remain
attached to one of the cannons on the wreck-site. Most of the plates and chargers feature hall marks
on their upper rims or bases used to identify the maker and designed to give an official appearance to
pewterware (Kerfoot 1924: 188-189). The mark of London pewtersmith George Hammond (used
from 1693-1709) appears on both plates, and the mark and name of John Stiles appears on the
bottom of one of the chargers; IO. STILE with sunken cartouche is located beneath a crowned
Tudor rose (Figure 7). The word LONDON is stamped nearby, as is Stile’s name again above a
Figure 7: Marks of London pewtersmith John Stiles on the base of a charger.
feathered crest bracketing a bird holding a snake. Three hallmarks (a rampant lion, eagle, and an
unidentified mark) are also stamped on the base of the charger. Stiles produced pewterware in
London from 1689 until at least 1730 (Cotterell 1985:315).
The partial remains of a pewter spoon were found in a concretion that appeared to consist of a
wooden box in which gunflints and lead shot were also kept. Eighteenth-century rattail pewter
spoons were cast in two-piece molds and were inexpensive and easy to mass produce (Moore
1987:10-16; Noël Hume 1982:183). The back of the handle or interior of the bowl was often
stamped with the maker’s mark. Unfortunately, this specimen is too fragmented to determine its
origin.
Two dozen well-preserved animal bones have so far been found on the shipwreck. Most are
legs, ribs, and skull fragments from immature pigs, and perhaps represent living animals kept by the
pirates for food. Two cattle bones featuring cut marks also derive from foodstuffs (White 1999).
The right ulna of a rat reflects an unwanted guest on the ship, and several bones from marine
mammals may be intrusive.
Conclusion
The majority of the artifacts recovered from the Beaufort Inlet shipwreck date the site to the first
quarter of the eighteenth century. A bronze bell dated 1709, a cast-iron cannon dated 1713, ceramics
and glassware that fit within chronological typologies, pewterware produced by craftsmen known to
have worked in London from the 1690s to 1720s, a blunderbuss barrel that was proofed between
1672 and 1702, and surveying instruments that compare exactly with a treatise published by Stone
(1723), combine to place the site in the appropriate time period.
The existing hull structure, rigging elements, quantity of ballast, and ground tackle suggest a ship
of comparable size to Queen Anne’s Revenge. Other vessels from this period known to have wrecked in
the area have been ruled out because all were smaller, lightly armed vessels (Wilde-Ramsing 1998:58).
The number and diversity of cannons so far recovered also correspond with historical accounts of
Blackbeard increasing the vessel’s armament. All of the guns recovered to date are different and may
reflect the variety of sources Blackbeard used for the acquisition of arms. Although the identity of
shipwreck 0003BUI cannot yet be positively established, circumstantial evidence continues to mount
which strongly suggests the Beaufort Inlet site is indeed Blackbeard’s flagship Queen Anne’s Revenge.
A Note on Unloading Cannon C-19
Concretion surrounding cannons C-19 and C-21 was physically removed following documentation
using a three pound hammer, chisel, and air scribe. The guns were separated and associated artifacts,
primarily consisting of ballast stones, a clap pipe bowl and stem sections, and some unidentifiable
wood fragments, were removed prior to the start of the unloading process. Although very fragile and
eroded flush with the ends of the muzzles, the tompions in both of the cannons were found to be
intact (Figure 8). A surgical scalpel inserted between the wooden plug and metal barrel of C-19
effectively broke the concretion bonding the differing materials. Extraction of the now loosened
tompions in one piece presented more of a challenge. The tompions (Diameter, one and one-eighth
inches, depth, one and seven-eighth inches) was centrally pierced and the remains of a knotted cord
were too friable to pull, so a series of scalpels were inserted around the circumference of the
tompions, squeezed gently together, and withdrawn, thus removing the plug intact (Figure 9).
Figure 8: Intact wooden tompions
scalpels.
Figure 9: Removing the tompion using several removal
from cannon muzzle.
The interior of cannon C-19 appeared to be devoid of water, and crystals of an unidentified
material had formed along the inside of the tube. These crystals were collected using a scalpel taped
to a wooden pole, and are currently undergoing analysis. The first wad of cordage (length, four and
one-half inches) was located approximately half way down the tube. Fortunately it had not adhered
to the interior of the barrel, and was therefore easy to extract using a copper wire hooked at one end
to gently pull the wad out of the barrel. The three iron drift pins (lengths, six and one-half to eight
inches) were likewise removed with the copper wire hook. The middle wad (length, two and one-half
inches) was slightly more difficult to remove, and necessitated insertion of a scalpel to break its bond
with the metal walls of the gun. It was then extracted with the copper wire.
The solid iron round shot (diameter, two inches) was fixed in place by corrosion and could not
easily be gripped with a wire hook. An eight inch section of two inch diameter PVC pipe was
beveled on one end similar to a contemporary powder scoop, and then fastened to a wooden pole.
The scoop was cut in half lengthwise to allow flexibility of its diameter. This device was then
inserted into the cannon, pressed until the PVC tube expanded around the leading half of the solid
shot, and then withdrawn, effectively removing the cannon ball.
The third wad is considerably more fragmented than the first two, and to date only pieces have
been removed using the wire hook, PVC scoop, and scalpel methods. It is unknown whether the
powder charge is contained within a bag, or is loose behind the wad. The walls of the PVC scoop are
not thin or sharp enough to break the bond between the wad and the bore, so another scoop of
sheet metal is being fashioned and will be attempted in the near future. Fresh water has been
introduced to the barrel to prevent premature drying of the interior of the gun before electrolysis,
and to render the powder charge inert in the event that the metal tools create a spark.
Work on cannon C-21 has not yet begun. For more details and illustrations of the unloading
process, see the project’s web site located at www.qaronline.org.
References
Baird, Donald
1973 His Highness Prince Rupert’s way of Making Shot, 1665. The Canadian Journal of
Arms Collecting, 11.3 (August): 83-85.
Cotterell, Howard Herschel
1985 Old Pewter: Its Makers and Marks in England, Scotland and Ireland, an Account of the Old
Pewterer and His Craft. Charles E. Tuttle Company, Rutland, Vermont.
Hawtrey Gyngell, Dudley S.
1959 Armourers Marks: Being a Compilation of the Known Marks of Armourers, Swordsmiths, and
Gunsmiths. Thorsons Publishers Ltd., London.
Hill, Erica
1995 Thimbles and Thimble Rings from the Circum-Caribbean Region, 1500-1800:
Chronology and Identification. Historical Archaeology, 29.1:84-92.
Kennard, A. N.
1986 Gunfounding and Gunfounders: A Directory of Cannon Founders from Earliest Times to 1850.
Arms and Armour Press, London.
Kerfoot, J. B.
1924 American Pewter. Bonanza Books, New York.
Lusardi, Wayne Richard
1999 Do the artifacts identify the Beaufort Inlet shipwreck as the pirate Blackbeard’s
flagship Queen Anne’s Revenge? Underwater Archaeology proceedings from the Society for
Historical Archaeology Conference 1999, 123-132. Matthew A. Russell and Adriane
Askins Neidinger, editors. Salt Lake City, Utah.
Marsden, Peter, and David Lyon
1977 A wreck believed to be the warship Anne, lost in 1690. The International Journal of
Nautical Archaeology and Underwater Exploration, 6.1:9-20.
Miller, J. William, John E. Callahan, and James R. Craig
1999 Summary of Research on Ballast Stones of the Reputed Shipwreck of the Queen Anne’s Revenge.
University of North Carolina-Asheville.
Moore, Simon
1987 Spoons, 1650-1930. Shire Publications Ltd., Buckinghamshire.
Noël Hume, Ivor
1982 A Guide to Artifacts of Colonial America. Random House, New York.
Oertling, Thomas J.
1996 Ships’ Bilge Pumps: A History of Their Development, 1500-1900. Texas A&M University
Press, College Station, Texas.
Peterson, Mendel
1973 History Under the Sea: A Handbook for Underwater Exploration. Mendel Peterson,
Alexandria Virginia.
Stone, Edmund
1723 The Construction and Principle Uses of Mathematical Instruments. Translated from the French of
M. Bion, Chief Instrument-Maker to the French King, to Which is Added, The Construction and
Uses of Such Instruments as are Omitted by M. Bion; Particularly those Invented or Improved by
the English. London. Reprint by Astragal Press, Mendham, New Jersey.
White, Karli
1999 Analysis of Animal Bones Recovered from the Wreck of the Queen Anne’s Revenge.
Manuscript on file, Illinois State Museum, Springfield, Illinois.
Wilde-Ramsing, Mark V.
1998 A report on the 1997 archaeological investigations at North Carolina shipwreck site
0003BUI. Underwater Archaeology Proceedings from the Society for Historical Archaeology
Conference 1998, 54-60. Lawrence E. Babits, Catherine Fach and Ryan Harris,
editors. Atlanta, Georgia.

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The Blackbeard Shipwreck Project, 1999:
With a Note on
Unloading a Cannon
By:
Wayne R. Lusardi
NC Underwater Archaeological Conservation Laboratory
Institute of Marine Sciences
3431 Arendell Street
Morehead City, North Carolina 28557
Table of Contents
Introduction.........................................................................................................................................1
1999 Field Season................................................................................................................................1
Figure 1: Two small cast-iron cannons during removal of concretion and associated
ballast stones. ..................................................................................................................................1
The Artifacts ........................................................................................................................................2
Ship Parts and Equipment...................................................................................................................2
Arms..................................................................................................................................................2
Figure 2: Weight marks on breech of cannon C-21..............................................................3
Figure 3: Contents of cannon C-19 included three iron drift pins, a solid round shot
and three wads of cordage .........................................................................................................3
Figure 4: Two cast-iron hand grenades, one with a section removed to reveal the
wooden fuse. ..............................................................................................................................4
Figure 5: Brass serpentine side plate from a blunderbuss or musket.................................4
Personal Effects...................................................................................................................................5
Figure 6: Personal effects including a gold nugget, three brass straight pins, and a gold-plated
silver button or spangle. .................................................................................................5
Food Preparation and Storage ..............................................................................................................6
Figure 7: Marks of London pewtersmith John Stiles on the base of a charger. ...............6
Conclusion ...........................................................................................................................................7
A Note on Unloading Cannon C-19 ...................................................................................................7
Figure 8: Intact wooden tompion after removal from cannon muzzle .............................8
Figure 9: Removing the tompion using several scalpels. .....................................................8
References ..........................................................................................................................................10
Introduction
Shipwreck site 0003BUI [31CR314] was discovered off the coast of Beaufort, North Carolina in
the fall of 1996 by the private research firm Intersal, Inc. Three field seasons have been conducted
on the site from 1997 to 1999, and a preliminary analysis of the artifact assemblage has led
researchers to tentatively identify the shipwreck as the pirate Blackbeard’s flagship Queen Anne’s
Revenge (1718). This paper will discuss the most recent findings since those reported by Wilde-
Ramsing (1998) and Lusardi (1999), and includes a note on the procedure used to unload a small
cannon recovered from the site.
1999 Field Season
In June and October 1999, archaeologists from the State of North Carolina conducted a diver-positioned
magnetometer survey of the Beaufort Inlet site. Numerous ferrous objects including
another cannon were detected in the surrounding sediments. A large ballast-covered concretion
located adjacent to the structural remains was recovered, and when opened in the laboratory,
revealed two additional cannons (Figure 1). Miscellaneous small artifacts such as stoneware
fragments, a pewter charger, ballast stones, and a wooden hull plank recently disturbed by hurricane
conditions were recovered for conservation and analysis. Field and laboratory personnel also assisted
with the production of a British Broadcasting corporation documentary featuring the project.
Figure 1: Two small cast-iron cannons during removal of concretion and associated ballast stones.
Although only a small number of artifacts were recovered from the site in 1999, many new
discoveries have been made in the conservation laboratory while processing concretions removed
from the wreck in previous years. Several classifications are represented in the assemblage including
ship parts and equipment, arms, food preparation and storage items, and personal effects.
Ship Parts and Equipment
Several hundred iron nails varying in length from one and one-half to four inches were removed
from concretion attached to cannon C-4. The nails are square in section, flare or spoon slightly at
the tip, and were probably contained in a box or keg that has since deteriorated. A perforated semi-circular
lead pump sieve with three flanges was found in 1996, and a second sieve fragment was
recovered in 1999. Both fragments resemble sieves found on El Nuevo Constante, wrecked off
Louisiana in 1766 (Oertling 1996:31-33). Several hundred variously shaped and sized river cobbles
have been collected from different areas of the site to identify patterns in loading and deposition of
ballast. The stones consist primarily of basalt and gabbro, though andesite, granite, schist, quartz,
conglomerates, and limestone were also identified by geologists (Miller et al 1999).
An outer hull plank eight and one-half inches in length was found to be disarticulated from the
extant structure. The White Oak (Quercus sp.) plank was recovered and will be sectioned for dendro-chronological
analysis and experimentation to determine the best means of preservation. Plans are
underway to recover the entire hull structure during the upcoming field seasons because recent
hurricanes have significantly eroded and threatened the wooden planks and frames.
Arms
The French slaver Concorde was originally outfitted with fourteen to sixteen guns before
Blackbeard captured and renamed the vessel Queen Anne’s Revenge, and increased its complement to as
many as forty cannons. All but three of the twenty-one cannons so far discovered on the site appear
to be cast-iron six-pounders approximately eight feet in length. One of the two larger guns (C-3)
recovered in 1997 features crudely chiseled number 17 and 3 running lengthwise along the first
reinforce. The numbers represent the weight of the gun in old English hundred-weights [17(112) +
3(28) = 1988 lb.]. A smaller cast iron cannon (C-4) recovered in 1998 measures six feet in length,
and features the numbers 6-3-7 stamped laterally on the breech [6(112) + 3(28) = 7 = 763 lb.]. The
letter P for ‘proof’ also appears on the top of the first reinforce just behind the trunnions, and the
touch-hole is stopped with a wooden peg.
One of the two small cannons (C-21) raised in 1999 measures three feet, ten inches in length and
features the numbers 1-3-3 (Figure 2) stamped laterally on the breech [1(112) + 3(28) + 3 = 199 lb.].
Figure 2: Weight marks on breech of cannon C-21.
The second small cannon (C-19) is four feet, six inches in length. Its right trunnion was cast with the
letters IEC representing the foundry of Jasper Ehrencreutz, operating in Sweden from 1695-1743
(Kennard 1986:70; Peterson 1973:156-157). The left trunnion is dated [1]713. After removal of the
wooden tompions, the gun was found to contain a wad of cordage followed by three iron drift pins, a
second wad, a solid round shot, a third wad, and the powder charge(Figure 3). Both of these smaller
guns appear to be typical carriage-mounted cannons, not rail-mounted swivel guns.
Figure 3: Contents of cannon C-19 included three iron drift pins,
a solid round shot and three wads of cordage.
Two hand grenades (diameter, three inches) were removed from concretion attached to a pewter
charger recovered in 1998. The grenades consist of cast-iron spheres packed with gunpowder and
pierced to accept a hollow wooden fuse (Figure 4). The fuse also contained powder and a paper
match, and would have been lit and thrown at the enemy with devastating results (Marsden and Lyon
Figure 4: Two cast-iron hand grenades, one with a section removed to reveal the wooden fuse.
1977:16-19). Small arms from the Beaufort Inlet site include a brass blunderbuss barrel with London
proof and view marks of the style dating to between 1672-1702 (Hawtrey Gyngell 1959:11), a brass
side plate in the form of a sea serpent (Figure 5), and a brass butt plate. A small concretion found in
June 1999 appears to be the remains of a small wooden box or container. A slat of wood still
Figure 5: Brass serpentine side plate from a blunderbuss or musket.
survives, on top of which is a pile of lead bird shot, three variously worked gunflints, three pieces of
chert debitage, and a pewter spoon. The debitage suggests that the flints were produced on board
the ship. A wide variety of small caliber cast- and Rupert-style lead round shot (0.02-0.75 cal.) was
also recovered (Baird 1973:83-85). Although no edged weapons have yet been found, a rectangular
whetstone and quarter section of a grinding stone exhibit considerable usage patterns along the
edges. These were used to sharpen cutlasses, knives, boarding axes, or other edged weapons and
tools.
Personal Effects
Personal effects recovered from the shipwreck include a kaolin clay pipe stem fragment (length,
three and one-half inches, bore diameter, 0.1 inch), an intact pipe bowl that has yet to be removed
from concretion, a brass sail needle, gold dust, a wooden bead, and a gold-plated silver button or
spangle (Figure 6). Three brass straight pins (length, one inch) were found within a concretion that
Figure 6: Personal effects including a gold nugget, three brass straight pins,
and a gold-plated silver button or spangle.
also contained a fragment of stitched fabric. The pins feature straight shanks that taper to a point,
and a head fashioned from a second piece of wire wrapped around the shank and flattened into a
button. Straight pins and other sewing instruments are often found on archaeological sites and do
not necessarily represent gender distinctions (Hill 1995:90: Noël Hume 1982:254).
Food Preparation and Storage
The base of a salt-glazed Rhenish stoneware jug was found in June 1999, and resembles several
body sherds found in previous years. The ceramic assemblage also includes a Faience rim sherd, red
earthenware oil jar fragments, cream-bodied olive jar sherds, and a single piece of hearth tile.
Three pewter charges (diameter, 22 inches), two smaller charges (diameter, 16 inches), and two
pewter plates (diameter, 9 ½ inches) have so far been recovered. Two additional plates remain
attached to one of the cannons on the wreck-site. Most of the plates and chargers feature hall marks
on their upper rims or bases used to identify the maker and designed to give an official appearance to
pewterware (Kerfoot 1924: 188-189). The mark of London pewtersmith George Hammond (used
from 1693-1709) appears on both plates, and the mark and name of John Stiles appears on the
bottom of one of the chargers; IO. STILE with sunken cartouche is located beneath a crowned
Tudor rose (Figure 7). The word LONDON is stamped nearby, as is Stile’s name again above a
Figure 7: Marks of London pewtersmith John Stiles on the base of a charger.
feathered crest bracketing a bird holding a snake. Three hallmarks (a rampant lion, eagle, and an
unidentified mark) are also stamped on the base of the charger. Stiles produced pewterware in
London from 1689 until at least 1730 (Cotterell 1985:315).
The partial remains of a pewter spoon were found in a concretion that appeared to consist of a
wooden box in which gunflints and lead shot were also kept. Eighteenth-century rattail pewter
spoons were cast in two-piece molds and were inexpensive and easy to mass produce (Moore
1987:10-16; Noël Hume 1982:183). The back of the handle or interior of the bowl was often
stamped with the maker’s mark. Unfortunately, this specimen is too fragmented to determine its
origin.
Two dozen well-preserved animal bones have so far been found on the shipwreck. Most are
legs, ribs, and skull fragments from immature pigs, and perhaps represent living animals kept by the
pirates for food. Two cattle bones featuring cut marks also derive from foodstuffs (White 1999).
The right ulna of a rat reflects an unwanted guest on the ship, and several bones from marine
mammals may be intrusive.
Conclusion
The majority of the artifacts recovered from the Beaufort Inlet shipwreck date the site to the first
quarter of the eighteenth century. A bronze bell dated 1709, a cast-iron cannon dated 1713, ceramics
and glassware that fit within chronological typologies, pewterware produced by craftsmen known to
have worked in London from the 1690s to 1720s, a blunderbuss barrel that was proofed between
1672 and 1702, and surveying instruments that compare exactly with a treatise published by Stone
(1723), combine to place the site in the appropriate time period.
The existing hull structure, rigging elements, quantity of ballast, and ground tackle suggest a ship
of comparable size to Queen Anne’s Revenge. Other vessels from this period known to have wrecked in
the area have been ruled out because all were smaller, lightly armed vessels (Wilde-Ramsing 1998:58).
The number and diversity of cannons so far recovered also correspond with historical accounts of
Blackbeard increasing the vessel’s armament. All of the guns recovered to date are different and may
reflect the variety of sources Blackbeard used for the acquisition of arms. Although the identity of
shipwreck 0003BUI cannot yet be positively established, circumstantial evidence continues to mount
which strongly suggests the Beaufort Inlet site is indeed Blackbeard’s flagship Queen Anne’s Revenge.
A Note on Unloading Cannon C-19
Concretion surrounding cannons C-19 and C-21 was physically removed following documentation
using a three pound hammer, chisel, and air scribe. The guns were separated and associated artifacts,
primarily consisting of ballast stones, a clap pipe bowl and stem sections, and some unidentifiable
wood fragments, were removed prior to the start of the unloading process. Although very fragile and
eroded flush with the ends of the muzzles, the tompions in both of the cannons were found to be
intact (Figure 8). A surgical scalpel inserted between the wooden plug and metal barrel of C-19
effectively broke the concretion bonding the differing materials. Extraction of the now loosened
tompions in one piece presented more of a challenge. The tompions (Diameter, one and one-eighth
inches, depth, one and seven-eighth inches) was centrally pierced and the remains of a knotted cord
were too friable to pull, so a series of scalpels were inserted around the circumference of the
tompions, squeezed gently together, and withdrawn, thus removing the plug intact (Figure 9).
Figure 8: Intact wooden tompions
scalpels.
Figure 9: Removing the tompion using several removal
from cannon muzzle.
The interior of cannon C-19 appeared to be devoid of water, and crystals of an unidentified
material had formed along the inside of the tube. These crystals were collected using a scalpel taped
to a wooden pole, and are currently undergoing analysis. The first wad of cordage (length, four and
one-half inches) was located approximately half way down the tube. Fortunately it had not adhered
to the interior of the barrel, and was therefore easy to extract using a copper wire hooked at one end
to gently pull the wad out of the barrel. The three iron drift pins (lengths, six and one-half to eight
inches) were likewise removed with the copper wire hook. The middle wad (length, two and one-half
inches) was slightly more difficult to remove, and necessitated insertion of a scalpel to break its bond
with the metal walls of the gun. It was then extracted with the copper wire.
The solid iron round shot (diameter, two inches) was fixed in place by corrosion and could not
easily be gripped with a wire hook. An eight inch section of two inch diameter PVC pipe was
beveled on one end similar to a contemporary powder scoop, and then fastened to a wooden pole.
The scoop was cut in half lengthwise to allow flexibility of its diameter. This device was then
inserted into the cannon, pressed until the PVC tube expanded around the leading half of the solid
shot, and then withdrawn, effectively removing the cannon ball.
The third wad is considerably more fragmented than the first two, and to date only pieces have
been removed using the wire hook, PVC scoop, and scalpel methods. It is unknown whether the
powder charge is contained within a bag, or is loose behind the wad. The walls of the PVC scoop are
not thin or sharp enough to break the bond between the wad and the bore, so another scoop of
sheet metal is being fashioned and will be attempted in the near future. Fresh water has been
introduced to the barrel to prevent premature drying of the interior of the gun before electrolysis,
and to render the powder charge inert in the event that the metal tools create a spark.
Work on cannon C-21 has not yet begun. For more details and illustrations of the unloading
process, see the project’s web site located at www.qaronline.org.
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